There and Back Again A Human's Tale
by Rae Shap
Summary: A girl from the future is sent to the past to help the Fellowship in their Quest.
1. Intro

I in no way own the characters in this story (excepting Rachael and some others). It is a fanfiction and therefore is not entirely original.  
  
The main characters consist of: Rachael Shapiro, a human from the future. The story is told through her eyes. Legolas Greenleaf, an elf from Mirkwood. Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire. He carries the Ring. Gandalf, a wizard from the Undying West. He leads the Fellowship and calls Rachael to Middle Earth. Aragorn, a man of the Dunadain. Lover of Arwen Undomiel daughter of Elrond. And of course there is the rest of the Fellowship as well.  
  
This is a continuing work in progress. It will be very long Eventually. It isn't necessary that you have read any of Tolkien's books before reading this, but it might help. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review. 


	2. Chapter One: Many Meetings

This morning started out like most others. I was bored. So around noon, I finally got out of bed and walked to the library. I was browsing the shelves, when the words of my best friend Kelly came into my head. "Have you read the Lord of the Rings books?" I had had to admit that no, I hadn't. "You gotta! Their great!" she had said.  
  
So my feet led me to the Fantasy Section of the library. "Tolkien, right?" I said to myself, searching the T's. I finally found a big '3 books in 1' volume, checked it out, and walked home. After that, I was hooked. I only stopped reading for school, meals, and to do homework. Eventually, it got to the point where I took it to school with me to read at lunch. One such day, I was so wrapped up in an account of some battle that I didn't notice Kelly come up and sit next to me. She grabbed the book out of my hands.  
  
"So you like it?" she asked.  
  
But I wasn't looking at her. A square of paper had fluttered to the floor. Before Kelly noticed I reached down, and, pretending to tie my shoe, put it in my sock. When I got home, I put it on my desk and forgot about it. The next few days I spent reading (of course), but soon I remembered the picture.  
  
I picked it up to look at it. It looked like a Polaroid of the floor of a room, but the tiles seemed almost to be raised from the picture. I touched it, just to be sure, and my finger stuck. When I tried to push it off, the rest of my fingers became stuck, too. Suddenly, with a yell, I lurched forward - right into the picture!  
  
To my horror, I found myself falling towards the hard tiles. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, but I started slowing down. It felt as though I had fallen into a huge tub of jelly. I opened my eyes, and found that I was falling about as fast as a feather, and straightened myself before I hit the ground. I landed lightly on my feet, slightly dazed but otherwise ok.  
  
"Rachael! I was wondering when you would drop in."  
  
Turning slowly around, I saw two men across the room from me. The younger one (I couldn't tell an age, but his hair was dark whereas the other's was gray) was on his feet in front of an overturned chair, looking very dignified but about as surprised to see me as I was to see him. The older, who I guessed had addressed me, was wearing a cloak, a pointed hat, and an amused smile.  
  
The younger man, seemingly getting over his shock, straightened. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, sounding outraged.  
  
"Steady, now. She is a friend," said the other.  
  
"Who-? Where-?" I stammered. The old man rose easily to his feet.  
  
"How rude of me. I am Gandalf, and this is Elrond. I'm sure you know of us? This is the Elven city of Rivendell."  
  
As unlikely as it seemed, I was filled with a sense of trust. I looked around me. I had to admit, it wasn't too hard to believe. The hall I was standing was roofless. One side backed a rock cliff, two sides had walkways leading to other galleries, and a railing on the fourth side guarded a fall into a crystal-clear pool far below. Everything was carved with intricate designs of vines and delicate flowers, so that it seemed sculpted rather than carved. The entire city seemed to be built on a deep ravine.  
  
The pool was, in fact, a small section of the Bruinen that dissapeared underground shortly before resurfacing. Trees and plants grew on every terrace and the entire city had the smell of spring, an eternal spring I guessed. Terraces and porches and halls were connected by criss-crossing paths, walkways, and briges that were each beautifuly carven and decorated.  
  
I looked back at Gandalf and Elrond. A wizard and a king of Elves! How could this be true? Well, just in case. "I'm, uh, honoured by your presence." I bowed. When I looked up again, Gandalf was smiling with amusement, and Elrond looked impressed. Suddenly I felt a sense of purpose.  
  
"Where is Frodo?" I asked.  
  
"I sent one of my Elves out to look for him nigh on a fortnight ago."  
  
"Glorfindel." I muttered. "He should be back very soon."  
  
"How is it that you know this name?"  
  
"Peace, Elrond." Gandalf looked at me. "This girl knows more about the future than even you could guess"  
  
"How is this? What evil sorcery have you brought into my house?" Elrond turned to me. "Be gone, evil sorceress!" he pointed at me. "Ah nasun es dofel!" he said clearly in what I guessed must have been Elfin tongue. I was thrown violently back against the cliff, and the last thing I remember before I blacked out was Gandalf yelling "Enough! Enough!"  
  
The first thing I saw when I woke up was Elrond looking down at me. I scrambled back on the bed - straight into Gandalf.  
  
"Calm, Rachael. I have explained some things to Elrond, and I believe that will be safe now."  
  
"Deepest apologies, friend Rachael. I was afraid, well, you never can tell who you will meet in these dark times." I looked at him nervously. "I give you my word that no harm shall be done to you while you rest in my halls. Now, I must return to Frodo." Elrond got up and walked away, but stopped at the door and turned around to look at me. "He, as you foretold, arrived shortly after you did," he said, and then turned and left.  
  
"How long have I been out?" I asked Gandalf.  
  
"Almost four hours." was the answer.  
  
"And Saruman?" a shadow passed over Gandalf's face.  
  
"If only you had been here to tell what awaited me there. But - no. It is for the better this way." He looked at me from under his heavy eyebrows. "You may tell them nothing without my consent. Nothing. Do you understand?"  
  
I looked back at his bright eyes surrounded by deep wrinkles. "Two- {i}at least{/i} two of the fellowship will die. Can't I tell them?" He closed his eyes as if in thought. When he opened them, they seemed full of pain.  
  
"Do not burden anybody with an unnecessary worry. If anyone is to die on this quest, do nothing but hint. Tell them to avoid a certain person or place, if you will. But remember: all changes have a purpose." Then his face cleared. "You look well. Let me see your new outfit."  
  
I got up, and for the first time noticed the Elven garments on the table next to the bed. There were a shirt and a pair of pants made of a soft but flexible material that fit so well, and inhibited movement so little, that it seemed more like my skin than clothes. It was a greenish grey, and would be excellent for camouflage. I beamed.  
  
"I will leave you now. If you need me, I will never be too far." He turned to go.  
  
"Gandalf?" I called after him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"With care and watchfulness, Frodo should wake up in four nights and three days. If the Elf-cooks start now, we will have the best feast that I, anyway, have ever eaten." Gandalf smiled and walked out.  
  
For the next three days, I wandered around completely unnoticed, exploring Rivendell. On the morning of the fourth day, I wandered into a large decorated room. I thought it was empty, and wandered around picking things up, looking at them, and putting them back down. I had finished in the room and was about to leave again, when a green glint caught my eye. "A beryl!" I whispered with awe. I walked over and reached out, but before I could touch it a hand, gentle but firm, was put on my shoulder.  
  
"That, human, is not yours." a soft female voice with a light accent sounded from behind me. I turned around slowly, and knew at once that this must be Arwen Undómiel. With her dark hair and beautiful face, she looked young but ageless, like Elrond. They were clearly related (as far as looks can tell) and they shared the same majestic presence. After getting over the initial shock of seeing an Elf so beautiful, I sank to the floor and bowed my head.  
  
"Arise Raya." (I had been given an Elven name for some unknown reason that I guessed had something to do with Gandalf) "I have been expecting you. Come with me." I realized with a shock that she spoke the Elven Tongue, and that I understood her. The confused look on my face must have betrayed my thoughts, because she smiled.  
  
"There is some magic in you, Raya. Few have the knowledge of Elven as you do. You have the gift of understanding. Cherish it, and never forsake it. Now come. We have much to learn."  
  
"Learn?"  
  
"Have you ever shot a bow?"  
  
"Uh."  
  
"Used a sword?"  
  
"I took fencing in school." I said hopefully. She stopped walking and turned to look at me.  
  
"This is not school. The real world is a dangerous place, Raya." she turned and continued walking "You need to learn to survive. You shall start with combat, as you will be here for a while yet."  
  
"But Frodo wakes this morning! I have to go and see him." Arwen stopped so suddenly I almost walked into her. She stood facing forward for a second before turning around slowly. She had a strange look on her face.  
  
"You are truly gifted. Only last night it seemed as though he was lost to us. But then my father found a hidden piece of the Morgul blade, and Frodo made an unexpected recovery. You had no way of finding out."  
  
"How do you know I wasn't there?" I asked.  
  
"Do you think that my father would let you wander unattended?"  
  
"But nobody was around."  
  
"Just because we aren't seen doesn't mean that we aren't there." She walked away, leaving me to wonder exactly how long I had been followed. "Come. We go to Frodo." I hurried after her.  
  
When we reached the room where I guessed Frodo was staying, two guards blocked the door, but after a quick discussion they bowed respectfully and made way for the lady. Arwen told me to wait at the door while she went in.  
  
"Who is this?" asked one guard of the other in Elven tongue.  
  
"This is Raya Palantira, Ní Elessyar. She has been brought from over the sea to aid the Halfling in his quest."  
  
"Does she know this?"  
  
"I expect Mithrandir shall tell her when the time comes." he replied. Then he spoke to me in the Common Tongue. "How do you like Rivendell, Raya Palantira?"  
  
"It is beautiful beyond imagining." I replied in perfect Elven tongue, amused by what I was clearly not meant to have understood. As the guards stood gaping, the door opened and Arwen stepped out.  
  
"You may enter," she said.  
  
As I walked through the door, the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful wooded four-poster in the centre of the room. The second was the figure in the bed. The green and gold coverings were pulled up to his chin, but it was obviously Frodo. His hair was curly and brown, and his eyes were a deep piercing blue. His face was calm, but showed signs of a remembered pain. I looked to the side of the bed. Gandalf was sitting in a chair looking tired but triumphant.  
  
"Gandalf," I nodded to him before walking over to the bed. "Frodo! So nice to finally meet you."  
  
"And who are you in this day of surprises?"  
  
"I am Rachael - uh - Raya Palantira. How are you?  
  
"I feel most recovered already. But if Master Elrond prescribes bed rest-" he shrugged and smiled. I laughed. He looked at me curiously. "You are not an Elf. Where do you come into this strange adventure?"  
  
"I, well, I'm not sure. I guess we'll see."  
  
Gandalf, who seemed to think Frodo was asking too many questions, cut in. "I think that it is high time that Master Frodo got some rest. Out, Raya. You shall see Frodo-"  
  
"-at the feast." I finished for him. "Nice meeting you, Master Fordo." I bowed and turned to go.  
  
"Raya?" Frodo's voice followed me out the door. I walked back in.  
  
"Yes, Frodo?"  
  
"Did you say your name was Rachael?"  
  
"No, well, yes."  
  
"Is it?"  
  
I looked at Gandalf. "I don't know," I said. 


	3. Chapter Two: The Council of Elrond

The feast was fantastic. I sat between two very enjoyable elves, and spent the time eating the most wonderful food I had ever had and listening to songs and stories mixed with recent news. When Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen got up and left the hall, we followed.  
  
The Hall of Fire was hushed as elves sang songs of deeds done and times to come, and I was persuaded by the elves I sat beside to sing. I sang Amazing Grace and some other song the elves had never heard and were equally pleased with. After my third song, however, I managed to slip out and enjoy the silence of the rest of the city.  
  
I found Gandalf sitting on a balcony blowing smoke shapes. Before I had a chance to say anything, he spoke.  
  
"Rachael! I was worried about what might have slipped out if you had remained with Frodo."  
  
"So I am, what is it? Raya Palantira. What does that mean?"  
  
"Palantira is devised from palantirí, the seeing stones of old. But no doubt you knew that. Palantir is 'that which sees far'. There for, Palantira is 'she who sees far."  
  
"But my eyes are not even as good as a Ranger's."  
  
"The name does not refer to sight, literally"  
  
"Oh." I sat silent for a minute. "Why me?" I asked.  
  
Gandalf took a break form his smoke-rings and turned to look at me. "That you shall know, when the time comes."  
  
"And I have to go with the fellowship?" There was a thoughtful pause.  
  
"That is up to you. I cannot force you to do anything. You would be an asset to the journey, knowing the things you do. But you must leave your identity behind. You must become Raya Palantira, child of Middle Earth and servant to it's people. You will probably never return to your own land, even if you forsake the company now. Those are your choices. The council meets tomorrow, as you know. Your decision cannot wait longer than that." He went back to blowing smoke-rings, and it seemed that I was dismissed.  
  
But I had one more question.  
  
"What is Ní Elessyar?" I asked. If he heard me, he made no sign. I hung around a little longer but he didn't so much as look at me, so I went back to the room I had been staying in since the unfortunate event at my arrival, and spent a sleepless night listening to the music and laughter from the Hall of Fire.  
  
Around dawn, I finally dropped off, but it seemed like I had just closed my eyes when I woke up to soft singing. At first I thought that the feast was still going on, but I realized that the sound came from close by my bed. My eyes flew open. By the window stood an elf, dark-haired and handsome (as most elves are). As I opened my eyes, he turned and stopped singing. I was tempted to shut my eyes again and pretend to sleep so I could hear more of the song, but I was caught.  
  
"Good morning, Lady Palantira, I trust you enjoyed the feast and slept well?"  
  
I smiled sleepily and nodded, trying to stifle a yawn.  
  
"Master Gandalf sent me to tell you to go to the great hall of last night. There will you find the council.  
  
"Oh. Thank you.?"  
  
"Lindir," he said, bowing. "Master Gandalf bade me ask that you hurry."  
  
When I first arrived in the hall, I thought it was empty. But a closer inspection showed groups of one, two, and three people talking in lowered voices I had taken to be the wind through the opened door. There was one person in particular who caught my eye.  
  
His green and brown cloak and pointed ear showed him to be an elf, and his bearing reminded me of a prince. His long blonde hair was in a plait in the back, and his face was turned away from me. He was alone. I walked over and sat next to him.  
  
"Legolas Greenleaf, I presume?"  
  
He looked up as if interrupted from deep thought. He was, of course, very handsome.  
  
"Indeed. And who are you who speak the Elven toungue and are adorned in Elven garments, yet are of the race of Men? And how do you know me?"  
  
"I am Raya Palantira," I bowed. "I-" I paused, partially regretting my decision to approach him. "I have heard of your father's kingdom in Mirkwood."  
  
"Ah yes, the stranger from across the sea." He looked me up and down. "I expected someone a bit more. substantial. A warrior, a bowman, or a prince, or princess, I suppose. But unless my sight fails me, you are none of these."  
  
The comment was not meant as an insult, and I laughed.  
  
"Your sight is as good as any, noble elf. I am just a human. A young human at that."  
  
There was a bell, not the harsh ringing of a school bell, but soft and musical, and Legolas looked up. People were slowly filtering out of the hall.  
  
"We should go. Follow my lead."  
  
We exited the hall and came to a large veranda outside, the only access to which seemed to be the door we had just gone through. Several Elves stood and guarded the door, and the rest (about a dozen of them, Men, Dwarves, and Elves) sat in a large circle of chairs, with Elrond in a large seat in front. He introduced some of them, Frodo, Gimli and Glóin (At your service!), Erestor, chief councillor of the House of Elrond, Legolas, and a man named Boromir. Then he turned to me.  
  
"Gandalf, I need your assistance introducing this girl."  
  
Gandalf stood from his chair next to Frodo and came to where I sat next to Legolas.  
  
"Stand up, Raya."  
  
Everybody looked at me. I stood up.  
  
"Who are you, Raya? The truth."  
  
"I am Raya Palantira, child of Middle-Earth and servant to its people." There was some mumbling. Obviously that wasn't specific enough.  
  
But Gandalf smiled.  
  
"And who were you last night, before the feast?"  
  
I looked at him.  
  
"I was Rachael Shapiro, a human from the continent of North America."  
  
At this, the entire room began to rumble. Frankly, I wasn't surprised that no one had heard of North America.  
  
"And where is this 'North America'?"  
  
I wasn't sure what to say. Was it in the future? Was it now, but somewhere else? Or was my current position not even on the same planet? None of these thinks seemed plausible. I decided on a mix. "North America is in the future, far away from here."  
  
Many of the people in the room jumped to their feet. Especially a few men, who clearly didn't believe me, and the dwarves, who seemed to be looking for an argument. Most of the Elves, and one man, however seemed to find my explanation quite possible, and even likely.  
  
"Well explained, Raya." said Gandalf.  
  
"Outrageous!" cried a dwarf.  
  
"I don't believe it!" said one man loudly.  
  
"I assure you, good people, this is the truth," replied Gandalf calmly.  
  
The man turned to him angrily.  
  
"And who is this old man who seems to think he knows so much?"  
  
Elrond stood from his carved chair.  
  
"Enough! I will not have Gandalf or this girl called a liar!"  
  
I was surprised by the change in attitude that had come over Elrond. From flinging me into a wall and knocking me out to defending my honour. I wonder what Gandalf told him?  
  
"Boromir, sit down or leave at once. You know nothing of the matters of Elves."  
  
But Boromir wasn't listening.  
  
"Gandalf? Mithrandir? Lathspell, bringer of ill news, we call you. This must be grave indeed."  
  
At a look from Elrond, he spoke again.  
  
"I apologize, Master Gandalf. I didn't know any better. Forgive me."  
  
"Forgiven, Boromir son of the Lord Denethor. It is a hard tale for any to believe. But it is true. Now, let us hear what the rest of you are here for."  
  
Of course, I knew what they had to tell. Glóin spoke of Balin's disappearance at the mines, and of the visit of the messenger of Mordor to Dain, King Under the Mountain.  
  
"What shall we do with the Ring?" asked Elrond. "That is the doom we must deem. That is the purpose for which you are called hither. Called, I say, though I have not called you to me, strangers from different lands. You have come and here met, in this very nick of time, by chance as it may seem. Yet it is not so. Believe rather that it is so ordered that we, who sit here, must now find council for the peril of the world. Now, therefore, things shall be openly spoken that have been hidden from all but a few until this day. And first, so that all may understand what is the peril, the Tale of the Ring shall be told from the beginning even to this present. And I will begin that tale, though others shall end it."  
  
And everybody sat and listened as Elrond told of the forging of the Ring by Sauron the Deceiver in the Mountain of Fire at the (beginning?) of the (First Age?). He told how it had been cut from the hand of the Dark Lord by Isildur with his father Elendil's broken sword, Narsil, in the days of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. He talked about how he had been the Herald of Gil-Galad and seen the Ring fall, and how he had told Isildur to destroy the Ring, and was refused, to the destruction of many.After that came the death of Isildur and the long wait for a new master.  
  
Then Boromir stood up. Strong and brave he seemed, living only for the good of his people. He asked for the advice of Elrond on the troubled dreams his brother and himself. "In that dream," he said, "I thought the eastern sky grew dark and there was a growing thunder, but in the West a pale light lingered, and out of it I heard a voice, remote but clear, crying:  
  
"Seek for the sword that was broken:  
  
In Imladris it dwells;  
  
There shall be councils taken  
  
Stronger than Morgul spells.  
  
There shall be shown a token  
  
That Doom is near at hand,  
  
For Isildur's Bane shall waken,  
  
And the Halfling forth shall stand."  
  
He told how they had not understood the words but that their father, the Lord Denethor, Steward of Minas Tirith, sent one them to Imladris, Rivendell, of Elrond Half-Elven. He took the quest, though his father would have sent his brother, and had travelled for many days before finally arriving.  
  
"And here in the house of Elrond, more shall be made clear to you," said a man, standing up and throwing a sword, broken in two pieces, on the table.  
  
I gasped. This had to Aragorn, heir of Isildur and therefore heir to the throne of Gondor!  
  
"Here is the sword that was broken!" I looked more closely, realizing as I had not before, the weather-worn cloak and noble bearing. I watched them talk without hearing. Here were two men of noble blood, but destined for a long quest, but only one would return home. Unless there was something I could do about it.  
  
My thoughts were interrupted by Elrond.  
  
"Behold Isildur's Bane!" he said. I realized that Frodo had taken out the Ring and was looking around uncertainly. His eyes met mine across the circle and I tried to give him an encouraging smile. Aragorn were talking again, more heatedly, and suddenly Bilbo stood up and recited a poem that he had written for the Dunandan long ago.  
  
Aragorn smiled, and looked back at Boromir. "Now the world is changing once again. A new hour comes. Isildur's Bane is found. Battle is at hand. The sword shall be re-forged. I will come to Minas Tirith."  
  
And the tale continued with Bilbo's adventure with Gollum, including (of course) the finding of the Ring, and ending with the party. At that point Frodo stood up and everything from his leaving Bag End to the Battle of the Ford of Bruinen (if it could be called a battle) was heard, scrutinized, and dissected. Lastly, Gandalf rose. He told much of the missing history of the Ring, as well as the hunting and the story of Gollum. Soon all were without a doubt that this was the One Ring. The talk turned to Gollum.  
  
"What became of him? To what doom did you put him?" asked Boromir. Aragorn told how he had been sent to Thranduil in Mirkwood to be put on prison.  
  
Legolas jumped from the chair at my side.  
  
"Alas! Alas!" he cried. "The tiding I was sent to bring must now be told. They are not good, but only here have I learned they may seem to this company. Smeagol, who is now called Gollum, has escaped." Now there was much more to be discussed.  
  
After much debate, Gandalf decided nothing could be done about this until later. So he went on and told a detailed account of the betrayal of Saruman, his stay at Orthanc, and finally of his rescue. He continued with his late arrival at Bree, his meeting with Barliman, and his departure to Rivendell.  
  
Then a great decision was made: the Ring must be destroyed. But who would go? We all sat in silence, and I think that I was not alone in knowing who they would be.  
  
Frodo spoke.  
  
"I will take the Ring," he said, "though I know not the way."  
  
Elrond told him that it was his own choice, and no one else's.  
  
Then Sam, as if out of nowhere (even I had forgotten him), jumped up. " But you won't send him off alone, surely Master?"  
  
Elrond turned to him, smiling. "No, indeed! You at least shall go with him. It is hardly possible to separate you from him, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."  
  
Sam sat back down, flushed and muttering. 


End file.
